What If…Ultron Won? Has a Way Darker Ending in the Comics

Although Marvel’s What If…? has some dark episodes, they often pale in comparison to the comics on which the stories are based – and the tale in which Ultron defeats the Avengers is no exception. The mechanical monstrosity is the instigator of many terrifying battles in the Marvel Universe, and usually ends up soundly beaten by the Avengers before the story’s end. But in Ultron Forever, a 2015 miniseries written by Al Ewing with art by Alan Davis and colors by Rachelle Rosenberg, Ultron actually manages to win – and that’s before the series has even started.

In Ultron Forever, various Avengers are assembled from different time periods to save the Earth 400 years into the future. Iron Man (actually James Rhodes), Black Widow, Thor, another Thor (Jane Foster), the Incredible Hulk, Vision, and a future Captain America are all summoned by none other than Doctor Doom. He tells the heroes that Ultron has conquered the entire world, exterminating most of the human race and modifying many of the living into his personal drones – including the world’s Avengers. Doom sends them in teams to Ultron’s fortress to accomplish various missions – and he tasks the two Thors with facing against Ultron himself.

After cleansing the world’s Thor of a virus (discovered to be a corrupted version of Loki), the now-three Thors face off against Ultron – who resides in the now-conquered realm of Asgardia. After defeating Odin and imprisoning the other Asgardians, Allfather Ultron possesses tremendous cosmic power. Yet after subjugating the entire solar system, he still feels empty. “Now that Earth is conquered…now that humanity is subjugated…what was it for? Revenge? Ideology? Programming? Why?” Even with the Godsight, even with the ability to see inside himself, a furious Ultron still cannot see why he conquered the planet. Apparently Ultron never had a plan for what he would do after taking over the world – and so he succumbed to insanity and madness.

Even Ultron’s drones have noticed his insanity – they even hear him crying during nights. The three Thors are nearly defeated by the new Allfather, but Jane Foster lifts both Mjolnir hammers, and holding one in each hand, summons a massive blast of otherworldly lightning that vanishes Ultron from reality altogether. He lets loose a terrible cry as the lightning destroys him, and one of the Thors can only observe “Did…did he scream at the end? Or laugh?”

While it’s true that the 616 version of Ultron is insane by virtue of wanting to conquer Earth anyway, the Ultron of the future has considerably more power – and it doesn’t help him in the slightest. Ever since being created by Ant-Man, Ultron is one of the Avengers’ most deadly threats. While Marvel’s What If…? showed the terror Ultron inflicts upon others, Avengers Forever showcased the darkness – and insanity – within the machine.